The Kevin Sheehan Show - Jayden's Protection Plan

Episode Date: September 4, 2026

Kevin opened with a reaction to an emailer who thinks Adam Peters is on the hot seat in 2026. He followed that up with a reaction to some interesting comments from Jayden Daniels in an Albert Breer MMQB story where Jayden talks about ways in which he plans on protecting himself more this year than he did in his first two years. Kevin's first "Smell Test" of the year includes four College Football picks. Steve Suter jumped on to remember 25 years ago when Maryland last won a conference championship in football. He also previewed the Terps' upcoming 2026 season which gets underway tomorrow night in College Park against Hampton. For all your football betting needs: DCRELOAD at MyBookie for a 50% Deposit Match Download the PrizePicks app today and use code SHEEHAN to get $150 instantly in Lineups if you win your first $5 Lineup! If you want to try Momentous Signature Spec Creatine, head to livemomentous.com and use code SHEEHAN for up to 35% off your entire first order. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You don't want it. You don't need it. But you're going to get it anyway. The Kevin Chean Show. Here's Kevin. First smell test of the year coming up next segment. A Maryland football preview later on in the show with our good friend Steve Souter. This show's presenting sponsors, always, Windonation, 86690 Nation,

windownation.com if you need new windows. I'm going to drop another show over the weekend for some of you. I'm not sure it's going to be for all of you. This is a bit unexpected. I had a long conversation with Mike Richmond, who I've had on the show before. Mike's written a ton of Redskins-related books over the years, and he's got a new one out called Washington Pro Football Encyclopedia, Redskins and Commanders. It's an update to a book he put out in 2007.

So it adds an additional 18 seasons to the original book. And we started talking yesterday, and it started with a lot of talk, actually, about the name and the logo and what his predictions for both are in the future. And then we got into the book, and it just kept going. But I think for longtime Skins fans, it's something. that you will enjoy, and I didn't feel like shortening it up so that it could be included in today's show. So I will put it out at some point over the weekend as a standalone show. All right. How about college football last night, week one underway, and UMass pulled off one of the biggest upsets in years from a point spread standpoint. UMass was 0.16, I'm sorry, 0.12 last

year, but they had lost 16 straight regular season games dating back to 2024. They were 29 and a half point underdogs on the road against Rutgers from the Big Ten. UMass got paid a million and a half dollars to play the game in Piscataway last night. And they did. And they played it well, very well. And they hammered Rutgers 37 to 21, an outright win and the biggest upset point spread wise in college football in five years. UMass has a new head coach. He actually was the defensive coordinator at Rutgers from 2022 through 2024. And listen to this. This is not unusual in college football these days. UMass has 50, new players on its roster with its new coach.

56, 30 transfers, and 26 freshmen. Not a good look, though, for the Big Ten last night. Even though, you know, I think a lot of people when they hear Rutgers Big Ten are like, really? Rutgers is in the Big Ten. They may say that about Maryland as well. The two came in together. They probably still say it about USC and Oregon. and Washington and UCLA as well.

But the Big Ten's talked a big game this offseason about how they are the best league in the country, better than the SEC. And a lot of people agree with that, but it was a rough night for Big Ten Rutgers and a really bad night for Greg Shiano, who came back to Rutgers, if you recall, in 2020, and is looking today like a coach very much.

on a hot seat after losing to really one of the worst teams in the country over the last few years. But a completely different team last night. I did not watch much of that game. I did watch a lot of the Colorado Georgia Tech game. Deion's team pulled out an ugly 14 to 13 win. Colorado blocked a field goal on the final play of the game. Watching it live, I was convinced, that the guy that blocked it off the edge got a quick jump or an off-sides jump. But I went back and looked at it and timed it up and just went, you know, frame by frame. And it was a great timing of the snap. And he got to that kick easily.

Some of you actually, not many of you, a couple of you reached out to say, is Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key going to be on your first coaching blunders segment because he did not burn a lot of clock on the next to last drive that Georgia Tech had? I went back and looked at that and I was watching the game at the time. They play with tempo and it wasn't one of those egregious situations where they were snapping the ball with 15 seconds left on the play clock with under two minutes to go. they took over on their next to last possession with seven and a half minutes to go in the game. They were up 13 to 7, so they were intending on scoring on that drive as much as they were burning the clock.

If anything, I just thought they got too conservative at the very end and settled for a 45-yard field goal attempt when the kicker had already missed from 35 earlier in the game. But, you know, Dion's been the story early in seasons since he arrived at Colorado. You know, they beat TCU. That was the stunner in 2023. And they've played a lot of these very early, you know, games. And, you know, they've been in the spotlight because they've gone earlier than a lot of the other teams. But it was a good win for him.

Colorado actually looked really good running the football, something they haven't really been able to do since Dion's been in Boulder. All right, this from Dale in D.C. Dale writes, Kevin, I agree with Tom. Adam Peters was arrogant when he said that the fans don't get to see what's going on and therefore they don't know anything about the team. Even if true, it's bad form to antagonize your fans when your job is on the line.

Actions are greater than words. I think there's some insecurity in that building, and I wonder how much pressure Josh Harris has put on Peters and if he's under an ultimatum. So, first of all, Dale, I agree that it wasn't great form for Peters to say what he said. Let me read the quote, by the way, for those that missed it. This was from the Monday joint press conference between Peters and Quinn. And you got the part Dale right about him, you know, saying that the fans, you know,

didn't get to see everything. But I think, you know, he didn't necessarily say exactly what you said. I'll read the quote. The quote was, quote, I'm very confident and I think obviously our fans are passionate. And you love to have passionate fans. And that's great. But there's a lot of stuff that. we're doing here that maybe they don't see. And there's a lot of things that I'm really excited

to see in a couple of weeks. We couldn't be more thrilled than to start our season when we're starting it. And it's going to be a great challenge. And we're looking forward to it. Closed quote. Yeah, I mean, it wasn't exactly what you said verbatim, Dale. You know, he didn't actually say that the fans didn't know anything about the team. By the way, just to be clear, I agreed. pretty much with what Tommy said on the show the other day about those comments. I didn't think it made sense for Adam Peters to say what he said. I thought it came off as a bit defensive, and it gave too much credence to, you know, the loud, but I think minority portion of the fan base that seems convinced that the team is in big

trouble, if not doomed, before they've even played their first game. and I'm sure that they've heard some of it out there, especially the reaction from the reaction to the two offensive snaps against Detroit and some of the reaction to some of the play-by-play tweeting of the Ravens Joint Practice. And I would bet actually, you know, behind closed doors, there's a lot of eye-rolling about some of the reaction. And I think that's really what we got from Peters on Monday. It's like, hey, guys, do you realize that we haven't shown anything?

And that the mass majority of what you've seen has been from players that actually aren't on the team anymore. They're on the practice squad, maybe. So I do think that maybe there's some frustration. But I would have suggested you don't need to react. to that part of the fan base. Just say, hey, we feel good about everything as much as we can at this point, and let's go play the games and see what happens. You know, I didn't necessarily feel like he was antagonizing the fans with that statement,

but I didn't think, you know, he needed to say what he said. So as far as that's concerned, I agree with you. I think you were a little bit Dale hyperbolic in your description. And as far as you saying there's insecurity in the best, building, you wonder how much pressure Harris is put on, you know, on Peters. And if there's an ultimatum, I do not think there's an ultimatum on Adam Peters. I do not think that Adam Peters's job is on the line. I don't. That's where I really want to scream. Are you guys serious? People who feel that way that Adam Peters is somehow done a job so poorly that he's in year three, his jobs on the line?

I mean, come on, man. Like his first season as a GM in the league, 2024, taking over for, you know, a franchise whose cupboard was bare. And they were coming off a horrific season, a 4 and 13 season that felt worse. And that team in 2024 won 12 regular season games, two road playoff games. and they were 60 minutes away from representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. It was the franchise's greatest season in 33 years. And then last year, I mean, come on. The team was the runaway leader in lost starters from week one due to injuries.

Most notably, the biggest loss being their best player, their starting quarterback, Jaden Daniels, plays in seven games out of the 17 and only four start to finish. And they went five and 12. We'll never know what the team would have been had it been a healthy football team. But they, you know, early on were one play away from a four and two start. You know, that bare Monday night game, the, you know, missed handoff because of the wet football. It was on Jaden.

He can't do that. but nobody thought at three and two after the Chargers game, and as we were going through that Monday night game against the Bears, and it looked like it was going to be a win, nobody in that moment saw what was coming, and then all of a sudden, everybody started dropping like flies, and some of you barely remember 2024 and just remember what happened after everybody started to get hurt.

I don't believe that Adam Peters is in trouble. and I would bet big money that he's the GM next off season heading into 2027. Maybe 2027 becomes a problematic season for him or an ultimatum season for him, you know, if they don't do well in 2026. But no, you guys lose me on that one. You know, it's like, are you serious? 2024? Was it that long ago?

And, you know, some of you would say, you know, he got one thing. thing right, Jaden Daniels, and that's why they had this season that they had in 2024. Yeah, he got Jaden right. It's true. By the way, it wasn't everybody's choice. Some of you guys, including some in the media, really wanted J.J. McCarthy at number two overall. And some people wanted Drake May, understood.

But he got more than just Jaden right, heading into 2024. Jaden was the catalyst, no doubt. for the season they had. But Frankie Louvo and Bobby Wagner were all pro selections. He brought both of those players in, you know, along with Quinn, because Quinn was responsible for some of these players. You know, Adam Peters is a first-time GM and Dan Quinn as an established head coach with great relationships. A lot of those players came here because of Quinn as much as Peters. But Ertz was a huge edition. Eckler was a really big time edition in 24 and very valuable when he was healthy. You know, Beaudish, Zakias, Dorrance Armstrong, Fowler Jr., Jeremy Chin, you know, special

teamers, and they had very good special teams that year like Nick Ballore and Jeremy McNichols. They drafted Sanra still in addition to Daniels who played great. Coleman, you know, played well as a rookie. They were huge in 24. I'm listing the players that were added by Peters before that season, the added players before that season. You know, not existing players that were also important, like Terry McCorn, but the players that were added to a cupboard that was bare. I mean, he turned over that roster in the first year by a half to two thirds, and it went to the NFC championship game.

And then last year, injury carnage. It happens in the NFL. I don't think Harris has put anything remotely resembling an ultimatum in front of Peters in 2026. I don't. Quinn, I think, is a slightly different story. Not because he doesn't get some leeway too for last year, because I think he should get some leeway for last year. He's not responsible for one of the worst, you know, injury seasons in franchise history. you know, but I do think Quinn as a CEO coach is a bit more vulnerable in 26 than Peters.

I wanted to get to one other thing here in the open before I get to the first smell test of the year. Albert Breer, MMQB, had a story today titled How an Injury Plagued 2025 can help Jaden Daniels in the long run. He writes, the commander's starting quarterback and breakout star in 2024 is anxious to show the football world what he's been working on for the past five months. And then he gets into at the very end of this story, Jaden's health and the concern over his health. I've talked about the number one thing for me being when it comes to Jaden Daniels showing, proving that he's grown as a quarterback. number one for me is he can't treat first and 10 in a zero to zero first quarter like it's fourth and five down six with 40 seconds left in the game. Those two things are completely different.

You don't need to, on first and 10, decide to scramble if nobody's open, put your head down, and take on a linebacker or a safety. You slide, you get out of bounds, you don't take a hit in the first quarter on first and 10. In the fourth quarter, because there are only 17 of these games, you're down six with 40 seconds to go, and you've got to scramble, you've got to go get the first down. You're going to be at more risk. But that's the growth I'm looking for. So from Breer's story, there was an interesting quote from Jaden Daniels.

and I'll get to it in a moment, but Breer writes about the Daniel's health concern. The elephant in the room is Daniel's health. He had again the knee injury, the hamstring, and then the elbow last year. A knock on him coming out of LSU was that he tended to put himself in harm's way and take a slew of cartoonish hits.

He stayed healthy for the most part in college, but the thinking was that his competitive breakneck style would catch up with him last year. It did. I asked him if he, In the aftermath, he regretted any of the 206 carries he had, designed or not, over his first two years, as a pro. And Jaden said, quote, not regret. You know, and he was asked specifically about what Breer writes, a zone read keeper against Seattle,

which is where he obviously got his elbow hurt. It wasn't a zone read keeper. It was an RPO. They should have never called it down on a condensed. field. I put that on the coach. But he said not regret. He said that was the most glaring one, the Seattle game. Even though that happens many times where you fall and get right back up, that's probably the most glaring one. I don't regret it because everything happens for a reason. And obviously it helped me get to this point where I am right now. So maybe if I hadn't gone

through that situation, my mindset wouldn't be switched. Mindset wouldn't be switched. And he said, okay, don't take away your superpower because you're still going to be there. You're still going to have to run. You're still going to have to scramble and get some yards. But be super smart about what you're doing. Basically, protect yourself. And then there's one more part of this that I want to read to you. Breer writes, Daniels knows it won't necessarily be easy to make these decisions when the bullets start flying.

and real blood is shed. But Daniels does have a plan. He pointed to a week 17 game in 2024 against the Falcons as a rookie in which he had 16 carries for 127 yards. He said, quote, I had to run a lot to win that game. And that was a big game to win. It was the playoff clincher. On the flip side, he says,

there'll be other spots where he'll try and be more. judicious. It's situational, he said. Early in the season, games are lost more than they're one. Guys are getting in football shape and feeling things out, but when it gets to November, December, when everybody should be playing their peak football, you build up all those reps through time and those games come down to the one yard or the one possession, so every possession, every play matters. He's essentially saying that, look, that Atlanta game, I have to be a lot, I had to put my body on the line. It was late in the season.

A playoff spot was on the line. But if the game had been earlier in the season and it wasn't as crucial, he would have thought about it differently. That's slightly different than my request. I don't want him to treat every play like it's a play that he has to put his body on the line because every play isn't. He's kind of doing it using the analogy of early season games versus late must-win games.

But it's the same mindset. Hopefully he's getting to a place where he's grown and he can prove that he's not going to try, you know, first quarter against Philadelphia on September 13th, first and 10 from their own 20. Nobody's open. And he takes on, you know, Jalen Carter in the middle of the field trying to get an extra three yards.

So it's second and six instead of second and nine. I mean, get down, get out of bounds, protect yourself, don't take those unnecessary hits. All right, first smell test of the year after these words from a few of our sponsors. Football is finally back, guys, and prize picks is bringing out their best offer yet. New users who sign up will get $150 in lineups if you win your first $5 lineup. That's right, if you win your first $5 lineup, you'll get, $150 in lineups. Prize Picks is my go-to daily fantasy sports app,

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Lock in for kickoff because everyone and everything is on prize picks. Download the app today and use Code Sheehan to get $150 instantly in lineups if you win your first $5 lineup. Again, download the app today and use code Sheehan to get $150 instantly in lineups if you win your first $5 lineup. Prize picks, run your game. The smell test, as it's been for several years now, is brought to you by my good friends at My Bookie, where if you want to bet on football this year, you should do it at My Booky. Make My Booky your home for sports betting in general. If you've already got a home, make My Booky your second home.

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All right. This is year 21 for the same. smell test. It doesn't even make sense to me, but it's true. The first year I did it was with the Riggins show back in 2006, which I was a part of for two years. And that's where I debuted it. And every Friday I did smell test picks. And I've been doing it ever since on radio and on podcast. In 20 years of the smell test, I've had 15 seasons with a winning record. Last year was a top three year for me. I hit on 62.4% of my smell test picks in 2025, 2026. My best ever season was just over 64% and I also had a season that was just under 63%. But for those who know a thing or two

about sports betting, you know how good 62.4% is for an entire season. I got this from Tyler. Tyler writes, why not Colorado tonight? Seems like a perfect smell test pick. He was talking about last night I did consider giving out Colorado, almost pulled the trigger. I wish I had just like UNC last week. But it didn't fit the total formula for a smell test pick. The sharp money was split really on the game last night, even though public money was on. Georgia Tech. For those of you new to this segment, the smell test is basically a contrarian handicapping philosophy. After many, many years as a much younger man, getting, you know, absolutely crushed betting on sports and betting obvious sides, I finally figured out that if there was an obvious side, it was obvious for a reason. So go the other way. This is and has been a contrarian handicapping segment.

I look for the games where, you know, the public is lined up. They're convinced that they have it figured out that, you know, the books have actually given out a wrong number. They don't do that. And when the public's lined up on one side, I go the other way. But it's more than that, really. It's an information play as well. I get a lot of information and have over the years.

I can't disclose where the information comes from, but it does come from warmer tropical locales where there are a lot of offshore sports books over the years, and I've known a lot of those people over the years, and I'm able to access sort of the same. sides that they need. You know, I look for the side that your bookie needs or your sports book online or otherwise needs, and I'm usually aligned with the house.

And that's kind of the way it works. I look for the games where the public is absolutely convinced and the sharps are on the other side. And that usually creates a smell test selection. All right. with that in mind, week one. Here we go. Nothing tonight, nothing on the Friday night games. The first full Saturday of the season, however, does include a few picks.

And the first play, and actually the first two plays are big favorites. That's not usually my go-to. I like underdogs. I guess that over the years, 75% of my plays are underdogs. maybe it's not that high, but it's probably no less than 70%. And the first play of the season is Iowa tomorrow. The Hawkeyes are laying 31 and a half to Northern Illinois, a team that lost pretty much its entire defense to power schools.

They were pretty good defensively last year. Iowa is still not convinced on the quarterback yet. They may play two of them, but they're going to have a massive advantage up front. I could easily see, you know, a 300-plus yard rushing day. A lot of people like this Iowa team, but the public likes the points. You know, the perception of Iowa in recent years, really until last year, is that they really struggled to score.

So the public sees Iowa laying 31 and a half, and they're like, can they even score 31 and a half? They were a different team last year offensively. I'd also note that the line on this game is 31.5, and the total is at 44 and a half. That's a tight fit, you know, and usually when you see a tight fit between a big favorite and a lower over under total, I'm telling you more times than not, you get the favorite and the under. Now, the pick here is not the under. The pick is Iowa minus 31 and a half,

but don't be surprised if the final score is something like 38 to 3, where you get the favorite and the under. Iowa, the first play of the season, laying a big number to Northern Illinois, 31 and a half. The other big favorite is also a big 10 team. Penn State laying 24 against a Marshall team that is thought to be top three, top four in the Sunbelt. The Sunbelt's pretty good with JMU and Old Dominion. Marshall is a, it was a five and seven team last year, but they got a lot coming back and there's a thought that Marshall could be pretty good.

Matt Campbell debuts as the Penn State coach tomorrow. I love Matt Campbell. And he brings his Iowa State quarterback with him. Rocco Beck. I think Penn State rolls. The public is all over the underdog in this game, which I guess surprised me to a certain degree. But I guess Penn State laying that big number off of the dreadful season they had, even though they have swapped out everything. Coaching staff, players. They've got, I think, 55 plus new players on their team. Penn State minus 24 is the second play. Next up, and I'm not kidding.

Tarleton State. Tarleton State, he said. The Texans from Stevensville, Texas, just southwest of Dallas, just northwest of Austin. This was a good football team last year in the FCS. There's a lot of turnover from last year's team, but apparently they are loaded again offensively. They beat Prairie View last week, 49 to 30. and they're on the road at Bowling Green tomorrow. There is a lot of sharp money on Tarleton State,

and there's a lot of public money on Bowling Green. I have no idea why. I can't name a player on either team, but I've got Tarleton State plus the two and a half at Bowling Green tomorrow. I was looking for some threes because obviously that is a big number. Personally, I will buy the half point and get it to three. but as you know, if I don't find a three anywhere out there, I won't give it out as a three. And I don't see one as of the recording of this show.

Take Tarleton State plus the two and a half. So that's it for tomorrow for Saturday, Iowa, Penn State and Tarleton State. Nothing on Sunday, but I do have Florida State as a Labor Day night smell test pick, getting three at home against SMU. SMU's ranked 19th in the country. Kevin Jennings and that high-octane offense is back. Florida State's not supposed to be very good. They actually opened up last week with a 34 to 17 win against New Mexico State,

but not super impressive. The public thinks the line is short that SMU should be a bigger favorite, and they're playing SMU at a huge rate. It's one of the top three or four public plays of the weekend. Sharp money on the Knowles. I'll take the Knowles at home plus the three. So there you go. Week one, Iowa minus 31 and a half, Penn State minus 24,

Tarleton State plus two and a half, and Florida State plus three. As always, this is for entertainment purposes only. But if you are going to do, wager on games, and I think many of you will. Tread lightly. Moderation is the key. Don't take these picks and put them into every teaser that you have, every parley that you have. The smartest way to do it is to play each of these as a straight bet for the same amount. And then at the end of the season, you know, if you go 53% plus, you win a little bit of money. Once you start, you know, putting them into the exotics and to all of your different teaser ideas and parlay ideas, that's when your

sheet at the end of the day looks pretty ugly. Four plays, week one, good luck to all. We'll finish up with Steve Suter, who will jump on and preview Maryland's upcoming season, but also go back 25 years ago when Maryland last won a conference champion. championship in football. Steve was on that team. We'll get to that after these words from a few of our sponsors. Hey guys, creatine is one of the most researched and effective supplements available, but as the category has exploded, most brands have focused on flavors, formats, and marketing instead of actually making the creatine itself better. That's why Momentous created signature spec creatine, their most advanced creatine ever, setting a new standard for creatine quality.

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the year before. This is a big year for Mike Loxley's group. If you want to listen to the game, if you're out and about tomorrow night, you can do it on your DC home for Terps football, the team 980. And on the call will be the legend Johnny Holliday and our guy, Steve Souter, who joins us right now. Of course, Steve was phenomenal during the skin season last year doing weekly film breakdowns. And he's been calling Terps games as the lead analyst for several years now. Before we get to what you think Maryland football is going to be this coming season, I don't know if you know this or not, because I did not tell you this before we started to record. But 25 years ago, Steve, was the last.

Maryland football conference championship season. It was Ralph Regens' first season in College Park, 2001. The Terps won the ACC regular season title, went to the Orange Bowl, lost to Florida in the Orange Bowl. You were on that team because you were a recruit of Vanderlinden, who was the coach before Ralph. I know you were hurt in 2001. You've told me that before.

But 25 years ago, what are your members? memories of the last time Maryland won a conference championship in football? Man, bringing back some good memories. I can't believe it was 25 years too that long ago. But the vivid memory I have of that is Woody Dancler and the Clemson Tigers come into college park, and if we won the game,

we're going to the Orange Bowl. And my best friend, roommate at the time, Dominique Foxworth is a true freshman. and he's getting the start and they got dogs at receiver and I was really nervous for him and excited for him at the same time and they went at him and they tried to

take advantage of him and he stepped up to the plate and he made PBU after PBU and it was just a really fun moment for me just because we were such good friends at the time so early in our careers and now we're still best buddies outside of college but that's the memory that I have and then people throwing oranges on the field

when the game was coming to an end that that is the moment of that season that sticks out to my brain. I mean, one of the biggest crowds that Bird Stadium's ever had that night with the Terps having a chance to clinch. I think it was a share of the title because the game the following week at NC State clinched the outright title. I think that's what it was. Am I right about that? I'll believe you. I don't actually remember.

Because I do remember the following week, the final regular season game in Raleigh, against NC State. I'm pretty sure that that game was the sole ACC title clincher for the Terps. But you're so right about that night against Clemson the week before. That was the most excited people had been about Maryland football since really the Bobby Ross years. And that was just an electric environment that night. Yeah, it was a special atmosphere for sure. I was, as you mentioned, I was hurt for most of that season. I had broken my left pointer finger in practice catching a knuckleball punt, and it shattered my finger.

I ended up having surgery. I had six pins and a plate put in my finger that are still in there now. So I was in street clothes, but on the sideline, and I could just remember looking up. It was a beautiful night, dark sky with all the lights of Bird Stadium. It was an electric atmosphere, as you said, and one of the moments that sticks out in my whole college career. You know, there are a couple of other moments from that season.

First of all, the win over Georgia Tech on Thursday night football when they fumbled in overtime. And Nick Novak had a game-tying kick at the end of regulation, then kicked a field goal in overtime, and then Georgia Tech fumbled. And Maryland, we were still undefeated after that game. I think that got us to 5-0 or 6-0. That was a big moment because Georgia Tech was ranked. and we were just, I think, barely ranked or just about to approach the rankings. You remember that night?

As a hurt player, did you still travel or not? No, I did not. I was watching that from my dorm room on TV. So the other freshmen and other players that didn't travel, we were all huddled up, I watched it for that. I'm not vividly remember that moment, too, because Novak was a freshman like I was in 2000, so we were the same class. So another bond there with another teammate that had a big impact on the season.

So really, man, I was so happy for him watching him kick that game winner. And we agreed on when he came home for sure. But now I was watching that from the dorm room. But another highlight, I think that's when the team really, we got something special here. We can make a run and to try to get to 10 wins. Yeah. And so that started becoming the focus. So I'll never forget where I was for the opener.

A friend of my wife's actually was getting married in Northern California. We were in San Francisco for the opener against North Carolina. Three hours earlier, a buddy of mine who's a big Michigan fan, we got up, we found a sports bar that was open showing college football that early on that Saturday morning because the wedding was Saturday night. And the thing that I remember was being shocked about how Maryland opened up and beat North Carolina 23 to 7. Carolina, I think, was favored in the game. And the reason I was shocked, Ralph did this a lot with the media. Ralph year in and year out totally downplayed everything about the team.

He's, you know, this was his first year as a head coach. And he all, like a week before the game, he said, I don't think we're ready. We're a mess. We don't have this. We don't have that. And, and then you guys came out and basically started the season. in 7 and O and you rocked Caroline in the opener.

But I'll think Willie Parker 80 yards like the opening play of that game. Exactly. Exactly. That's a great memory. And it's like it felt like it was over. That game was in College Park. And I remember, Ralph, I don't know, you probably didn't pay attention to it.

I mean, you were on some really good teams to the O2 team, the O3 team, O4, et cetera. But the O2 and O3 team. the team that, you know, won the Peach Bowl and then the Gator Bowl where you had a massive game in the Gator Bowl with the touchdown return for a touchdown, the punt return for a touchdown. But Ralph was very Gibbs-like, Joe Gibbs-like, in that he never, ever would oversell his team. He wanted people sleeping on his team. Did you guys realize that at the time or not? Not at the time now, but I bet you he was probably more honest there that first week.

I don't know if he knew what he had, right, with the Terps there. You come in, you take over a team that was five and 60 years before. You probably don't know. I remember the quarterback battle was Calvin McCall and Sean Hill, and it was going all the way up until camp, or at least the first week into camp, so we didn't know Sean Hill was going to be the starter until very close to that game. So I think there was probably some truth to what he was saying at the time. and then I think he did like

to cry wolf the rest of the way just to I don't know if he thought that was motivating us but it wasn't I don't say he was building us up in practice either so he was talking negative in press conferences he was still talking negative to us telling us that we weren't ready

you've told me this and other guys have told me this that he could be curmudgeonly and miserable around you guys like he was never happy right agreed yeah I don't I didn't have too many pleasant interactions with it. It makes me feel jolly. Right.

But he was a hell of a coach. Yeah. Oh, dude, X's and O's top, top notch. That guy knew what he was doing. Yeah. The other thing that I remember was, and this goes back to everything about sports, is that 9-11 happened, you know, 25 years ago, September 11th. And you got, and the season, I think, was put on hold for a week, right?

I mean, there were no college games, no pro games that following weekend, following 9-11. Yeah, that was a wild experience to have that going on in school. I remember just hearing that school was canceled. I was in class. We came back to our dorms and everybody was watching TV. We weren't really, you know, I still look back on that, and I don't want to say I regret what I was feeling or how I was acting, but I don't think I really appreciated it for the magnitude of the event. that had occurred in the moment.

We were real focused. And you're kid in college, and you're just, like, my first thought, I probably was, I wonder if they're going to cancel practice. And that should not have been my first thought, right? You're kind of like selfish in a silo there when that self-habit.

But the magazine was crazy, and then it started building in the team, and everybody kind of felt what we were doing and the moment it was. We had players who had family in New York, they couldn't get a hold of them, so it became real serious, real fast, and we were just worried about

our teammates and making sure they could get a hold of their parents to make sure they weren't involved or around or all those types of things. So it was a scary time. I think the next game, I want to say we played, was West Virginia. And I can vividly remember

Ralph addressing the team in a team meetings. And he was, he said, if West Virginia is going to practice, we're going to practice. So I think we went out on the field maybe the next day. Actually, I just pulled it up. next, the game after 9-11, and you did have the next week off, I think everybody canceled that next week off, was at Wake Forest. Oh, sorry, Wake Forest. Okay. And that game, Steve, was the Bruce Perry breakout game. Listen to this, 30 carries for 276 yards, two touchdowns. He also had three catches for 34 yards. He was a really good college back, wouldn't he? Oh, he was great. Oh, no, he was great. He was a five-pool back. He had vision. He had hands. He had speed. He had brains. Yeah, he was legit. Was he? ACC officer player the year that year. I can't remember. But he might have been. Was he? He wasn't. He was in the running. I'm not sure. I feel like you won that award, but I might be mistaken. Maybe I thought he should have won it.

Yeah, you're probably right. Let me 2001 ACC player of the year, ACC offensive player of the year. Yes, Bruce Perry, you're right. He won the ACC offensive player of the year during that season. Matt Schaub, if you were wondering, won it in 2002. And then Philip Rivers was the ACC offensive player of the year in 2003, which of course reminds me of one of my all-time favorite Maryland games from that era.

you were on that 2003 team that went down to Raleigh on Philip Rivers Senior Day and beat the Wolf Pack in pretty dramatic fashion. Oh, man, that was a good one. That was a good one. That was a good one. I remember that. That was great. I'm dehydrated in the first half.

I'm just woozy. I don't know what's going on me. I got my head going. I just know I'm dehydrated. I can't catch my breath. I tell the trainers, I'm like, something's going on. I don't know what I think I'm dehydrated. so they take me into the locker room first half and they give me an IV,

but they hit my vein and they don't plug it in right, and then blood just starts pouring all over my pants. Then they had to fleece my pants and everything. It's great, so then I came down on the second half of play. Yeah, the other thing, too, is the clenching of the ACC title outright did happen at NC State the following week. Yeah, yes. Julian Gary caught a pin route, we call it.

Exactly. In the end zone. Yep. Julian Gary. Yeah, 2319 Terps. And then it was off to the Orange Bowl, which was a bit, it was a good start to the game, if I recall. Not a good finish. Yeah, so the fun fact there is Rex Grossman missed curfew throughout the week at some point.

So Florida benched him for the first quarter, and they had Brock Berlin as their backup. So Brock Berlin, not as good as Rex Grossman, clearly. So we're hanging in the game a little bit. Then they bring Rex off his punishment, I think early in the second quarter, and then it was bombs away. He had three first-round receivers he was thrown to, Jabber Gapney, Taylor Jacobs, and Rashid Cobwell. So he had a plethora of weapons.

They had Lido Shepard on defense. He was a first-round corner. They had probably 11, 12 guys that went to the league on that roster. Wow. We were game-planning, sorry, this is sidetrack, but we were game-planned for kickoff. I was on kickoff at that point, excuse me, kickoff return, and all week where everybody's got their assignments who they're blocking, this and that, and you don't usually account for a kicker when you're doing these things because it's kicker is a kicker.

You're not worried about it and making a tackle. Well, first, I mean, they start scoring, and this same kid keeps making all the tackles and everybody's coming off the sideline getting upset. Like, who's got 38? who's got 38. I don't know what the number was, but it was something like that. Their kicker was like a backup emergency linebacker, so he wasn't a kicker kicker.

He weren't accounting for this guy and he was running down and tackled on us. That's funny. You know, Sean Hill really, I mean, you said it was a battle with Calvin McCall, who of course also played basketball for Gary as well. But Sean Hill ended up having, I just pulled it up because I knew he was in the NFL for a while. He had a 13, he had like a 14 year NFL career. It's crazy. So my perspective from that is I'm young. I'm just showing up on campus. I don't know anything about NFL talent and that sort of thing. And so when I talk about

Sean Hill now after the fact that you just had, I had no idea that I was sharing a field with a 13-year NFL vet. Right. At the time. It didn't look like that at the time because it's, I don't know, just the emphasis on brain power at QB, you get to see on full display with Sean and out. That's not saying that full wasn't athletic because he had a big frame. He could run for it too, but he was just so sharp mentally.

That's why you stick around for 13 years because he's a perfect backup. He's always going to be prepared. he's going to know the game plan and you can throw him in and he's not going to, you know, embarrass himself or embarrass the team. So I can totally see how he lasted as long as he did. I think the conversation about some of these backup quarterbacks, career backup quarterbacks in the NFL is so interesting. You know, the Chase Daniels, the Josh Johnson's of the world.

You know, Gus Ferrat was that for many years. Now he was a starter too. But like Chase Daniel, I'd have to pull it up again. This is off a memory. but I think he may have started like four games in his entire NFL career and basically made like $60 million being a backup going from one place to another. I'm going to pull it up because I think he does a great job. He was on the call last night of the Colorado Georgia Tech game.

I think he's really good. But he played 13 years with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 different teams. I've talked to Jay Gruden about. I've talked to guys like Jay Bruden about this before. The bottom line is you nailed it, right? It's like not only are these guys really smart, but clearly they are people that teammates and coaches like to be around. Absolutely.

Because you can't waste your time on them. I mean, it might be sound harsh. But as a coach, you don't want to waste your time on a second, and your backup quarterback and teaching them stuff and going through game plans. He needs to be able to do that on his own. So you're focusing with the starter. And that's why those guys that are so smart and can just keep up with the task and the game plan by themselves are just so valuable.

So you just keep them on the roster because they know they're going to be there when you need them. They're not going to let you down. Do you expect them to rally off eight wins if you have a bad injury with your first string? No, but you still want the team to not look embarrassing. $43 million career earnings and five NFL starts for Chase Daniel. five in 13 NFL seasons. Not a bad gig. Not at all.

All right. Well, that was such an exciting season 25 years ago. It was so unexpected. And it started, you know, a run of, I think Ralph's teams in his first three years won 31 games in the first three years that he was there. An ACC title with the loss in the Orange Bowl to Florida the next year. It was a very good team in 2002 as well. You guys were really rolling towards the end of the year. Crush Tennessee in that peach bowl.

I was actually there in Atlanta for that game. And then 03, another really good season that started slowly. That was the Northern Illinois loss in overtime on the road. But you guys came back, had another 10-plus win season, and you guys were Gator Bowl champs with you having a massive game in the Gator Bowl. That was such a big year. I mean, you had like, what was the punt return? Like 80 yards?

Something like that. Yeah, that was a fun one too. Man, that was, oh, man, good memory. Peach Bowl was great. Whew. I'll share this with you. This was a funny story. I don't know if I've told you this or not before.

You can cut this if you want to cut it. But after the game, we're at the team hotel. This is out of the Peach Bowl. This is great. We're having a blast. My family's there. I'm with my girlfriend at the time. It was now my wife.

And a couple walks up to the group. my family and my girlfriend, and the wife approaches me, and she hands me a thong with my name and numbers stitched in it and asked me to sign it. And so I'm caught off guard. I'm a college kid. I got my girlfriend. I got my mom standing right here, and she's doing it in front of him. So I look at my mom first, and I say, are you okay with this? And she's having a good time. She's laughing. She's like, yeah, go ahead. I look at my girlfriend. And I'm like, are you okay with this? She's like, yeah, whatever, who cares. And so then I look at her husband, and I'm like, are you okay with this?

And he signed off on it, too. I said, all right. Wait, how old was she? How old was she? I mean, harder for me, remember how old she was. She was probably late 20s and 30s. And she was just a massive Steve Souter fan who wanted her thong signed. Awesome.

So you signed it. Oh, yeah. So I signed it. How about this? Fast forward like 10, 12 years. I'm about to pay my green fee at a golf course. I'm about to play golf. I hand this guy behind the counter, my credit card,

and he goes, he reads my name, Steve Stewart. He's like, are you this Steve Stewart that played football in Maryland? I said, yeah. He said, you sign my friend's underwear. I said, get to hell out of here. What are the chances? I mean, hey, you know what? it'd be nice to have dedicated, passionate Terp fans that are into football like that woman was back then,

because I feel like there aren't as many anymore. But maybe this season can turn everything around. All right. Let's get to this team this year. And we'll do that right after these words from a few of our sponsors. Favorite ask. I know I ask all the time. But if you haven't rated or reviewed this podcast and you don't mind spending a few seconds to do it,

It's really helpful for us, especially when you do it on Apple and on Spotify. Five stars is what both spots give you a chance to give this show. Obviously, that's the best case for us. Also, writing a quick review is helpful and following the podcast. That's just a hit of the plus button or the follow button. All of those things really help this podcast out. We continue with Steve Suter, who will be. be on the call. Tomorrow night for Maryland's season opener against Hampton. You can listen to Steve

and Johnny on the call on the team 980 here locally in D.C. Let's start with the quarterback. Malik Washington. He had a really, really good freshman year. A lot of promise for Malik. A lot of talk about Malik Washington, not only about what he can be, Steve, as a college quarterback, but even projecting into the future. I want you to tell me just what you like about Malik Washington and if you have any concerns about his game. So I'll start with the concern. I think that's the shortest and the easiest. And that is, was last year was fundamentals, just physical fundamentals. I think he got himself in trouble where he tried to make throws from not balanced position, throws would be ill-advised, but he must have gotten away with his entire life because his arm was really good,

and he was just playing with people that didn't have the talent equal to him. So I'm hoping, and I was hoping that all-offseason, that was something that he was able to focus on, just getting technique back, get really grounded in his fundamentals and quarterback throwing skills, so that he could avoid some of those issues. Because other than that, I really, honestly, I didn't see many flaws or things to critique with them, basing off of, he was a true freshman, he played above his year in that aspect, and he had zero run game the whole season to help take any pressure off of him. So from that standpoint, I thought he was a stud. Now moving forward, what type of quarterback is he going to be?

Gosh, man, I could see him being something like a Sean Hill that we just talked about. I mean, similar body type, big guy, thick guy, smart, very commanding, but I'll say this. I was just talking to a player the other day on the team. And I gave the player the option. I just threw it up to him. I said, hey, give me the MVP of the team. And you can use any criteria you want. I'm not talking who's most improved and he's the MVP or who worked the hardest and he's the MVP. Whatever your criteria is, it's open. Who's the MVP of the offseason? And it was an offensive line. And he said Malik Washington. And he gave several instances just what he's done and how he's carried himself. and how he's taken over the team and things of that nature.

So it was a very genuine response by him. I wasn't peeing it up for him to answer Millie Washington. He could have said anybody he wanted for any reason he wanted. And Malik Washington jumped out at him. So I think that's just a really positive sign that he's going to be really good. Do you think he's a pro quarterback? I think he can be a pro quarterback. I think it's early to make that call right now, and I would like to see this season.

but he's got the physique in the stature and the mental game. So can he put it all together? Quarterbacks really hard to predict into the next level. So I think it's a little early for us to say that. But, I mean, he's trending that way. So let's start with the offense since we started with Malik Washington. New offensive coordinator in Clint Trickett. And they could not run the football last year.

We know that. And by the way, that would be. something that I think would have helped a young quarterback last year. But tell me what they can be offensively. Yes, I mean, I'd be hesitant to say that I'm not sure. I'm very curious to see how the offense is going to play and whether or not they can make the big jump. You mentioned the new offensive coordinator Clint Triggett.

He led the conference in rushing at Jack Declville State last year where he was, so I'm hoping some of that translates to Maryland because they were really bad running the football. I have still question marks. I feel like we say this every year. Offensive line, I still have question marks. They moved Isaiah Wright. Really smart kid.

He's versatile offensively, but he played left guard last year. They moved him to the right tackle. He's going to start a right tackle. So that is a little bit concerned for me because I don't think it's a situation where Isaiah Wright's really good at right tackle, and that's why they moved him. I think it's a situation where I don't think Jalen Gilchress is ready yet,

and he was a talented true freshman last. year he got hurt, I think, the first game early on and he was out the entire season. So I was hoping to see he was going to be the starter, but he's not. So I mean, he's not ready, and they had to make some adjustments around the offensive line. So that gives me some hesitation that we're still going to be waiting to see how the offensive line is going to be. And then on the outside, it's a new crop of receiver is gladding.

The guy came from Old Dominion, and then they got Chris Durr. They're going to start alongside Caleb Webb, who had limited. action last year, limited production. So, I mean, I'm nervous if I'm being honest. I'm waiting to see what the offense is going to look like, and we're just going to have to wait and see. So I'm wondering if they have the explosiveness that they've had during several of the Loxley seasons.

I mean, we both know one of the things he's done very, very well is he's recruited very well, and he's recruited NFL caliber talent, especially on offense. some of the skill position spots. Do they have that kind of speed, that kind of explosiveness on offense this year or not? If it is going to be the kid Chris Durr. I think he's probably got the most playmaking ability and somebody that can catch a five-yard playing and go 70. That's probably him.

Like DeWan Williams is, I mean, he's not flashy. He's like a guy that I probably, you know, you give bees and all the categories. He's probably not an 8 plus in any one area, but he's an overall good running back. So I don't know how flashy they're going to be able to be. I'm curious to see him. During Fleming, last year was a transfer at Tight End. He looks like a guy that could make –

I liked him, too. He just – it's a big moment, didn't make the play. So hopefully, under Kyle Schmidt, my longtime friend and ex-teammate, helping him out there at Tight End, maybe he could be that guy making plays. And Preston Howard is coming back from Auburn. he's a tight end too that can make plays in the past a game, so you're just hoping they're able to get the football on the right time.

Now, the offense is going to look, if they do the tempo, which I anticipate them doing, it's how Clint ran at Jacksonville State. It is very up-tempo. It's going to be a no-huddle offense. Primarily the whole game, receivers aren't even going to come into the huddle or near the huddle. Lime are just going to be all walking around the line.

So communication is going to be tricky. How well they've practiced that? Are they going to all be on the same page? Everybody's getting the same signals. How is that going to happen? Are they going to call it in? Simba League Washington, East signaling out to receivers. So all that stuff we're going to find out on Saturday.

I'm really curious to see how that's going to work. But I think the speed and tempo of that offense, a lot of people that do that, do that because they're trying to cover up deficiencies and try to get defenses in positions where they're not prepared or they can't prepare. Usually when you get that type of fast tempo, defenses will be hesitant to bring pressure. so you usually know you what kind of stock defense you're going to get.

So all these questions that I have and things that I'm anticipating, we'll find out here soon enough. I thought defensively last year, I mean, there was some young talent. Stuart Mathis. Mathis is out. He's injured for the year. But what do you see with this defense this coming year, including the young freshman that they added the five-star?

Yeah, so, man, I'll start with this out of your Mattis. I don't think I have been more disappointed by hearing the news of an injury than I was when I heard Zayor was down for the year. If you want to say Malik Washington is the best player on the team, then I would have put Zayor Mathis probably number two or number three. I thought he was that good last year as a freshman and he played most of the season on turf toe, which is very painful. And he probably was 70% of himself the entire season. So that was a big blow because I think losing him was like losing two. starters because you're going to have Sidney Stewart and your

math is opposite of each other who were awesome last year and then you're going to get to Sprinkle Zion elite in when you wanted to on situational downs, keep them fresh and so they all could be rotating and all three of them could be fresh and rushing the pass or when they need to. So losing that

depth at that piece really, it's a big blow. Now, saying that, I think it's the most talented defense on paper that Maryland's going to walk out on the field in maybe be a decade. They got talent. And I was really, they were fun to watch last year. Yeah, I agree. I think they were second in the Big Ten in turnovers. So the secondary is coming, most of his come, Glasker was great last year. He'll be back. They added the Amari Jackson kid from Boston

College, which should be even an upgraded corner. Messiah Delome at safety, flashed last year as a freshman. So I'm really excited to watch him there at the back end and then up front. I think it's probably the best they've had in a while. So on paper, they should be pretty good, and it should be fun to watch. Oh, and then another guy. So DJ Smith is starting out Mike Linebacker, and Trey Redick, who was a starter at Linebacker last year.

Now, he's replaced him. So that takes a lot to unsee the starter on defense. So he did that, and he's a short guy. Sorry, I say short, he's 6'1, 220 pounds as a middle linebacker. and I'm hoping he's like a DeQuelle Jackson guy that I play with a little bit undersized but just a madman that could just run all over the field and make a bunch of tackle. So I'm excited to see him and what he brings to the table.

All right. Well, let's kind of cut to the chase here. They've got a schedule that's not that bad. The week three game after Hampton tomorrow night, Yukon on the road next week. They should get to Virginia Tech on Saturday night, September 19th, 2 and O. I kind of view that game as pivotal to the season. Like that is a must have if they're going to go, you know,

have themselves kind of a bold type of season. Do you see it the same way? Yeah. And for a lot of selfish personal reasons too, right? James Franklin was my receivers coach at Maryland, so there's a lot of that, you know, you don't want to lose to that guy at home and that kind of thing. And how he left Maryland, there's a lot of history there.

and there's probably bad blood and all that that stuff. But I agree. I mean, you should get Hampton, you should go get Yukon, and then you just got if you want to get fans and everybody back involved, you got to get that one. If you lose that one or Virginia Tech, you're going to

be the same boat. You were probably last year. You're not going to get people coming out to the stadium, and then it's just going to be that cycle, and you've got to try to crack it. And the only way to crack it is the win games. You can do all this media market stuff and and have all these themes that they're having for the game.

Sure, that's all great, but that's not bringing out an extra, you know, 25,000 people, and that's what you want. You got to do it by winning football games. That's how we did it when I was there. You started winning games. People started showing up, and that's what they got to do here. How many games do they win this year? Oh, man, I have to go through the schedule.

I hope it's enough to go to a bowl game. I'll just put it at that. Well, that would be six. I mean, I guess there are some five and seven teams that make it, But, I mean. I know I watch Rutgers get their ass with a night against UMass. That was fun to watch. They look like, they look, they look embarrassing.

They didn't, and that wasn't fluke. I mean, I watched the game. You Matt, put it on them. So we can circle that one as a win. It better be anyway. All right. Well, that's Hampton, Yukon, and Rutgers. That's three.

You got to get three more. Yeah. Virginia Tech. You owe UCLA one. You lost to them at their place last year in the fourth quarter when you had the lead. We can get Nebraska. At Ohio State. Okay, great.

You got to play amazing, and they're going to have to please some help. Purdue, you should get Wisconsin. I don't think there's nothing that they're good. So there you go. We're going bold. All right. Thanks for doing this. I'll talk to you soon.

Appreciate it. All right, brother. See it. Steve Souter, everybody, on Maryland's upcoming 2026 season. I agree with Steve in that I could see Maryland winning six games and being a bowl team in 2026. I could see slightly better than that. Not a lot better than that, but slightly better than that.

You know, maybe a seven-win team in 2026. I could also see a lot worse than that. Look, there are not high expectations for Maryland heading into this season. Those that think that they may outperform their preseason predictions, like, by the way, Stanford Steve, who we had on the show the other day, really are basing it on two things. One, Maryland's always got a pretty good mix of talent, especially at skill position spots offensively and defensively,

non-trenches spots, although defensively, the loss of Zahir Mathis is a big one, but Sidney Stewart looks like an NFL player, for sure, as a pass-rushing edge. But most people are basing any sort of optimism on Malik Washington. And for those of you who don't know, Malik Washington is a 6-5-inch, 230-pound quarterback who was a freshman last year and started every single game for the Terps. So he's got a lot of experience coming into his sophomore season.

He's got a big arm. He is mobile for me in watching him last year, and it's his freshman year. So certainly there's a lot of room to grow. but the biggest problem I had with Malik Washington is that I didn't think he was accurate enough and I didn't think he threw with great touch. He would throw a 100 mile per hour fastball on a checkdown to a running back. Maryland had a ton of drop passes last year, but I would bet many of those drops were on balls that were thrown without a lot of touch,

even if they were on target. But that to me is the biggest question, Mark, can he become a more accurate passer and a passer that can throw with touch when needed? And we'll see. He certainly is a physical specimen, that is for sure. And, you know, those that are Malik Washington fans believe that he could lead the Terps to a surprising season in 2026. That schedule, as mentioned with Steve is not overly difficult. They play Ohio State on the road and they play Southern Cal on the road. But other than that, in the Big Ten, their games are against UCLA, Nebraska, Rutgers, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin,

who hasn't been that good in a few years. And they do close the season with Penn State at home and Matt Campbell's first year. State College. Penn State is ranked preseason, but as you look at their schedule laid out right now, they've got three ranked teams and only one top 10 team on their schedule. Of course, subject to change college football, almost like the NFL now because players jump around so much is hard to predict. But are they good enough to win six or seven? Yeah, they should be. If not, I think it would be really difficult for Mike Loxley to return in 2027. If they do win seven games, something like that, advanced to a bowl game,

have a big win somewhere along the way that's kind of a notable win because it's been a while. I could see him coming back. But I think this is a make or break year for Mike Loxley, in my opinion. I don't think that's going out on the limb at this point. there were a lot of people that felt like last year should have been it. But there wasn't enough to buy them out, apparently. And that's in part because Maryland football, not necessarily the passion among Maryland sports fans for football as there is for basketball. But when Maryland football's been good in the past, it's been fun.

And it's been a while since they've been really good. We'll see what happens. They should handle Hampton without much trouble at all. All right. I'll leave you with a highlight from that 2001 ACC championship season, which was the last conference championship season for Maryland football. See you. Great start to a good college football weekend.

And if we learned anything tonight, that Maryland is a legit team. Absolutely. Getting seven tight formation. They run. He lost the ball. Maryland wins. They recover the football and the terraces are undefeated. Six and O.

And Ralph Breaching comes back to Georgia Tech and wins.